The present invention primarily concerns a method for setting up a virtual electronic teaching system with individual interactive communication. Furthermore, the present invention concerns device for setting up a virtual electronic teaching system for implementation of the method.
The areas of e-learning, tele-teaching and remote-training, as well as areas of internal training and further education, training of service units, etc., are generally defined by the fact that users from very different educational backgrounds and with varying technical equipment (computers and periphery) come together for a defined time in defined teaching events.
The majority of connections to the Internet or to other data services is established by means of modems via telephone cable, i.e. a double copper conductor (so-called a/b pair or subscriber line), which originally was intended for the purpose of voice transmissions from about 300 Hz to 3400 Hz (POTS). In order to guarantee the highest level of transmission security, the existing analog transmission technology is replaced to an increasing extent by digital transmission technology. For this purpose, systems working according to the standard of “Integrated Services Digital Network” (ISDN) are predominantly being used in wire communication technology.
With the aid of a frequency separating filter, for example, a splitter matrix, voice and data are separated, as a rule, by means of passive low-pass and high-pass filters and fed into the telephone wire (for example, for a DSL transmission process). The voice communications are transmitted to a classic exchange, which is referred to as a so-called PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), and the data are transmitted, after the splitter, to a DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer—a device that converts the signals from several DSL lines into a broadband channel). Therefore, it is not possible to draw a distinct separating line between conventional telecommunication networks and computer data networks here. DSL modems, being the most important element for a DSL connection, are connected to both ends of the connection line.
In the DSLAM, for example, it is possible to utilize the ADSL technology (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, an asymmetric DSL data transmission method). This is to be understood as a transmission technology that allows, at a high bandwidth, Plain Old Telephone Services (POTS) or ISDN for voice transmission, as well as asymmetric multimedia services without regenerators on the same pair of wires without disturbances. It must be asymmetric (ADSL), because in the direction from the user to the network (upstream), the transmission is relatively low-rate (for example, at approx. 800 KBit/s), and in the direction from the network to the user (downstream) it is relatively hi-rate (for example, up to approx. 8 MBit/s). Aside from the ADSL technology, other DSL technologies are in common use, as well, for example, HDSL=High Transfer rate Digital Subscriber Line, SDSL=Single Line Digital Subscriber Line, MDSL=Multirate Digital Subscriber Line, RADSL=Low Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line and VDSL=Very High Rate Digital Subscriber Line, each of which is optimized for their respective applications and which are grouped under the generic term xDSL transmission technology.
Another possibility being able to transmit continual data flow at low costs, for example, voice or video communications, are offered by packet-switched communication networks, such as LANs (Local Area Networks), MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks) or WANs (Wide Area Networks). For example, the so-called Internet telephoning is based on this technology, which is frequently also referred to as “Voice over Internet Protocol” (VoIP). The parallel operation of an audio network with a PC network in a teaching system is described, for example, in DE 42 38 848 C2. The PC network is intended for visual data transmission and is wired independently from the audio network consisting of single-board computers as well as D/A converters and A/D converters for audio transmission. A control computer installed in the central control module of the teacher controls the PC network as well as the audio network with one control program [=control software] with a common user interface for the PC network and the audio network for the coordination of the simultaneous operation of both networks. Therefore, the central control module serves the purpose of controlling a PC network as well as the audio network. The control software also includes monitoring functions. For instance, a visual display of the current operating condition of the single-board computer, the student's workstation or the student's computer on the monitor of the control computer is possible. In addition, the current progress status of work instructions or assignment texts of individual students can also be verified on the monitor of the control computer. A visual display of current operating conditions of individual components of the control module is possible, as well. The control software also handles voice connections between teacher and student. All events occurring during a lesson can be recorded and, in form of an instruction record, can either be saved automatically on the hard disk of the central control computer or printed out. Due to the uniform user interface for the PC network and the audio network, the classroom sheet is always identical in both networks.
Thus, due to the described non-homogeneity, communications take place via connections with a wide variety of bandwidths, i.e., for example, 56 KBit analogue connections or 64 KBit ISDN or DSL or—insofar as integrated in a LAN—via 100 MBit twisted pair lines, or via dial-up connections 2 MBit and better, or via dedicated lines X.25. Correspondingly, there are a multitude of known interface devices, for example:                ISDN S0-interfaces,        LAN-interface FE (with program memory) to PCI bus,        external LAN-interface LAN (with program memory) as 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet or token ring,        WAN-interfaces WAN: X.21, V.35, G.703/704 to 2 Mbit/s.        
As far as, on the one hand, contents are available on a content server, which can be accessed via the Internet, and as far as, on the other hand, communications in form of video conferencing also take place via the Internet, various different protocols must be observed in this respect. For these protocols, based on the Internet protocol (IP), no uniform standard has been established as yet. There are certain “favorites” for certain areas of application (for example, H323 for video conferencing or similar).
WO 03/046861 A1 discloses an electronic teaching system, whereas the communication between teacher and students takes place via a LAN, which is connected to a central DVB (digital video broadcasting)-receiver station with DVB-tuner/receiver, central control unit and mass storage unit. The DVB-tuner/receiver may be designed as a set-top box, which receives the DVB information and forwards this information by means of a control unit in the form of a PC (personal computer) via the LAN to the computer of the teacher. The central DVB-receiver station, with appropriate authorization, can also access certain services from the DVB-service provider via a downward channel of the telecommunication network.
Furthermore, WO 03/026248 A1 discloses an electronic teaching system, whereas the communication between student and teacher is managed via subscriber lines by a central control device (there referred to as OLMS, Open Learning Management System). A database with a control device (there referred to as LMS, Learning Management System) is connected to the central control device, which prevents unauthorized access to programs and data and corresponding to learning progress controls access to teaching contents.
Similar designs of an electronic teaching system with access corresponding to learning progress and communication via Internet are known from WO 02/37697 A2 or from WO 02/075694 A1.
Finally, WO 02/097654 A1 discloses an electronic teaching system, whereas the profile of a student is centrally stored, whereas the profile, aside from learning progress, also includes information on the technical equipment of the student including bandwidth limitations of the subscriber line. This bandwidth limitation can be specified by the student or by the system administrator for a group of students.
The situation described here has resulted in the fact that e-learning and tele-teaching, in spite of the sensible approach of making the didactic skills and knowledge of lecturers available to a wider audience outside the classrooms and lecture halls, as well as also making elaborately prepared instructions materials available to a larger group of users, has not been able to gain acceptance on a broader base.
Previously available, predominantly exclusively software-based solutions, required a relatively high level of homogeneity with regard to technical equipment and bandwidth available to subscribers and, in addition, assumed that the corresponding software could be installed for this purpose on the equipment used by the persons participating in tele-teaching or e-learning events.
Due to the above-mentioned time-limitations of these events, but also, in part, due to organizational problems (changes in the EDP-structure within an organization), these requirements for homogeneity could only be fulfilled with difficulty or not at all. In this respect, it is exactly the possibility of being able to attend a time-limited dedicated teaching event where the actual benefit of e-learning and tele-teaching lies, in contrast to the necessity of being present during certain time periods.
The above discussion of prior art acknowledges differently designed methods and devices for the implementation of tele-teaching or e-learning events are known. For this purpose, computer networks or network connectivity usually requires special hardware and software components with a number of expensive devices specially designed for communications, such as communication servers for the connection to another network (public data network, another LAN or host system), or a file server, which administrates data and makes these available to users in the network, as well as corresponding network access protocols, for example, CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection), Token-Passing (bit pattern as authorization mark) or TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). However, little attention was paid to the user group of students and their existing equipment. That is why there is a lack of practical, cost effective e-Learning and tele-teaching systems, which would assure individual, in particular automatically adaptable, interactive communications. This is of particular significance, because the telecommunications and computer industry must be viewed as extremely progressive and development-friendly industries, which quickly take up improvements and simplifications and put them into realization.
The aim of the invention is to improve the generic methods/devices in such a manner that workstations that can be freely interlinked and that allow for individual interactive communication can be set up at low costs.